by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER VIII
A TIME OF WAITING
Dinah woke two minutes before one o'clock, and Nat at once lay down and,resolutely refusing to allow himself to think any more of the situation,was soon fast asleep.
"It am jess beginning to get light, Marse Glober," the negress saidwhen, as it seemed to him, he had not been five minutes asleep. However,he jumped up at once.
"It is very dark, still, Dinah."
"It am dark, sah, but not so dark as it was. Bes' be off at once. Mustget well away before dem black fellows wake up."
"How is Madame Duchesne?"
"She sleep, sah; she no wake for another tree or four hours. Dinah givepretty strong dose. Bes' dat she should know noting about it till we getto a safe place."
"But is there any safe place, Dinah?"
"Yes, massa; me take you where dey neber tink of searching, but good wayoff in hills."
Myra by this time was on her feet also.
"Have you slept well, Myra?"
"Yes, I have slept pretty well, but in spite of the two blankets underus it was awfully hard, and I feel stiff all over now."
"How shall we divide the things, Dinah?"
"Well, sah, do you tink you can take de head of de barrow? Dat prettyheaby weight."
"Oh, nonsense!" Nat said. "Madame Duchesne is a light weight, and if Icould get her comfortably on my back I could carry her any distance."
"Dat bery well before starting, Marse Glober, you tell anoder storybefore we gone very far."
"Well, at any rate, I can carry a good deal more than one end of thebarrow."
"Well, sah, we put all de blankets on de barrow before we put madame onit, and put de bundle of clothes under her head. Den by her feet we putde basket and oder tings. Dat divide de weight pretty fair."
"But what am I to carry, nurse, may I ask?"
"You just carry yourself, dearie; dat quite enough for you. It am a goodlong way we hab to go, and some part of it am bery rough. You do berywell if you walk dat distance."
"That is right, Myra," Nat agreed. "We don't want to have to carry bothyou and your mother, and though you have walked a good deal more thanmost of the girls of your own class you have never done anything likethis."
In a few minutes the preparations were completed. Madame Duchesne waslaid on the barrow, and the basket and other things packed near herfeet. Dinah took up the two front handles, Nat those behind, and, withMyra walking by the side, they started.
"Which way are we going, Dinah?"
"Me show you, sah. We go up for some way, den we come on path; two milesfarder we cross a road, and den strike into forest again by a littlevalley wiv a tiny stream running down him. After walk for an hour wecross ober anoder hill all cohered wiv trees and find soon anoderstream, quite little dere; hab a mile we follow him, den we find a placewhere we 'top. We long way den from any plantation, dat quite wildcountry."
"Then how do you know the place, Dinah?"
"Me'se not been dere for thirty years, Marse Glober, me active wenchden, twenty year old, me jest marry my husband, he dead and gone longago. He hab a broder on anoder plantation; dere bery bad oberseer, hebeat de slabes bery much. Jake he knock him down with hoe, and den taketo de hills; my husband know de place where he hide, and took me to itone night, so dat I could find it again and carry food to him, cause henot able to get away, hab to work on plantation. Me had a littlepickanniny and could 'teal away widout being noticed, and me went dereseberal times; den oberseer killed by anoder slabe, and de master, whowas good man, he come out to enquire about it. When he heard how deslabe had been treated, he bery angry and say it sarbe oberseer right.When I heard dat I spoke to de ole marse, de grandfather ob dis chileyou know, he bery good man, like his son, and he went to de plantationand got de marster to promise dat if Jake came back to work again heshould not be punished. And he kept his word. Dat is how me came to knowob dis place. Since dat time me know dat many slabes hab hidden dere.Now dat de slabes are masters, for suah dey not want to go near datplace, and neber dream dat Madame and Mam'selle Myra know of dat placeand go and hide dere."
By the time that they reached the path daylight had fairly broken.
"We are not likely to meet anyone here, I hope, Dinah?"
"No, sah, de blacks in de plantations dey go down by the road we shallcross--suah to do dat to get quick the news ob what am going on in oderplaces. If one come along here, dey see you black, and tink you niggerlike demselves. Mam'selle must slip into de bush, now she got dat gownon, no one s'pect her being white a little way off. Den if dere is onlyone or two, you shoot dem as soon as dey come up, if dar many ofthem--but dere no chance ob dat--must make up some story."
"I am afraid that no story would be any good, Dinah; if they came closethey would see at once that I am not a negro. However, we must hope thatwe sha'n't meet anyone."
Nat felt his arms ache a good deal before they arrived at the road theyhad to cross, and he would have proposed a halt, but he was ashamed todo so while Dinah was going on so steadily and uncomplainingly, thoughhe was sure that her share of the weight was at least as much as his. Hewas pleased when, as the path approached the road, she said:
"Put de barrow down now, Marse Glober. You go down on de road and seedat no one is in sight, but me not tink dere am any danger. I know datdey rose at all dese little plantations up here yesterday; dere is suahto be rum at some ob dem, and dey will all drink like hogs, just as deydid at our place, and won't be stirring till de sun a long way up."
In a minute he returned.
"There is no one in sight, Dinah."
"Dat is all right, sah, now we hurry across; once into de wood on deober side we safe, den we can sit down and rest for a bit."
"I sha'n't be sorry, Dinah. You were quite right, my arms have begun toache pretty badly."
The negress laughed.
"Me begin to feel him too; dese arms not so young as dey were. De timewas I could hab carried de weight twice as far widout feeling it."
When a few hundred yards in the wood they stopped for a quarter of anhour, had a drink of wine and water, and ate a slice of melon and apiece of bread.
"Now we manage better," Dinah said as they stood up to continue thejourney. "We hab plenty of blankets," and taking one she tore off astrip some six inches wide and gave it to Nat, and then a similar stripfor herself. "Now, sah, you lay dat flat across your shoulders, den takede ends and twist dem tree or four times round de handle, just de rightlength, so dat you can hold dem comfor'ble. I'se going to do de same.Den you not feel de weight on your arm, it all on your shoulders; youfind it quite easy den."
Nat found, indeed, that the weight so disposed was as nothing to what ithad been when it came entirely upon his arms. They soon descended intothe little valley Dinah had spoken of, and she at once emptied the restof the water out of the jug.
"No use carry dat," she said, "can get plenty now wheneber we want it."
"How are you feeling, Myra?" Nat asked presently.
"I am beginning to feel tired, but I can hold on for a bit. Don't mindabout me, please, I shall do very well."
She was, however, limping badly. After going to the end of the littledip they crossed the dividing spur, and presently struck the otherdepression of which Dinah had spoken.
"There is no water here, Dinah; I hope it has not dried up."
"No fear ob dat, sah. In de wet season water run here, but not now; wefind him farder down."
The little valley deepened rapidly, the sides became rocky and broken,and to Nat's satisfaction they presently came to a spot where a littlerill of water flowed out from a fissure in the rock.
"How much farther, Dinah?"
"A lillie quarter ob a mile."
The sides of the valley closed in rapidly, and in a few minutes theyentered a ravine where the rocks rose perpendicularly on each side, thepassage between being but seven or eight feet wide.
"We jest dere now, dearie," Dinah said to Myra, who was now so exhaustedthat she could scarce
drag her feet along. Another three or four minutesand she stopped.
"Here we are," she said. Nat looked round in surprise; there was no signof any opening in the rock. "It up dere," Dinah went on, pointing to aclump of bushes growing on a ledge.
"Up there, Dinah?"
"Yes, sah; easy for us to climb up. You see where dere are little stepsmade?"
A casual observer would not have noticed them. They were not cut buthammered out of the rock, and appeared like accidental indentations.
"I see that we can climb up," he said, "but how we are to get the litterup I have no idea."
"No, sah, dat difficult. I'se been tinking it ober. Only possible wayis to take madame off de barrow and carry her up. You go up once ortwice, and you see dat it am not so hard as it seems. Dese lower holesnot deep, but dose higher up much deeper, can get foot well into dem."
"I had better go up and have a look, Dinah," and Nat started to ascend.He found that, as she had said, it was much easier than it looked. Thefirst four or five steps, indeed, were so shallow that he could not getmuch foothold, but above there were holes for the feet some six or eightinches deep, and three or four feet apart, these being hidden from thesight of anyone passing below by a projecting ledge beneath. The holeswere much wider than necessary, the corners had been filled with earthand tufts of coarse grass planted there, and these completely hid theopenings from sight. He soon reached the clump of bushes. Behind themwas a fissure some three feet wide and four feet high. He crawled intothis, and found that it widened into a cave. He was here able to standup, remaining motionless for a minute or two until his eyes becameaccustomed to the dim light. Then he saw that it was of considerableheight, some twelve feet wide and about twenty feet deep. This wasindeed an admirable place of refuge, and he felt sure that no one,unless previously acquainted with its existence, would be likely todiscover it. He went to the entrance and looked out. Myra was sittingdown by the side of a little pool. She had taken her shoes and stockingsoff, and was bathing her blistered feet.
"This is a splendid place, Myra," he said; "certainly nobody is everlikely to find us here. The only difficulty is to get your mother up."He at once rejoined them below. "The difficulty, Dinah, is that the faceof the rock is so steep that one cannot stoop forward enough to keepone's balance with the weight on one's back. The only possible way thatI can conceive is to fasten Madame Duchesne firmly to the barrow bythese strips of blanket that we have been using. We can tear severalmore from the same blanket. It will want at least half a dozen lashingsto keep her firmly down, then we must knot the other blankets to make astrong rope. I will go up with the end and pull when I get to the top.You can take the lower handles, and by holding them on a level with yourshoulders you can steady the thing as it comes up. You won't want tolift, I can pull her weight up easily enough, all that you have to do isto steady it."
"Dat will do bery well, sah."
Six strips of blanket were wound round Madame Duchesne as she lay on thehand-barrow; one was across her forehead so as to prevent her head fromdropping forward, one was under the arms, and two more round the body,the other two were over her legs. The baskets and other things had beentaken from the barrow. It was now lifted on to one end to see if therewas any sign of the body slipping. However, it remained firm in itsupright position. The blankets had already been knotted by Nat, whosetraining enabled him to fasten them so securely that there was no riskof their slipping. Then he ascended to the top of the steps and took hisplace on the little platform on which the bushes were growing.
"Now," he said, "I will raise it a few inches to see that it is properlybalanced." He had already seen that the proposal that Dinah shouldsteady it from below was not feasible. Although the first step wasimmediately below the bushes, the others varied considerably, some beingalmost in the same line as those next to them, so that two-thirds of theway up the holes were six feet to the right of the spot from which theyhad started, having evidently been so constructed that from below, hadanyone noticed them, they appeared to go away from the bushes, to which,from the last hole that could be seen from below, there was nocommunication whatever. The ledge, however, although scarce noticeablefrom the bottom of the ravine, was really some eight inches wide, andfrom this but one step was necessary to gain a footing on the platform.Dinah, standing below, steadied the barrow as high as she could reachthe ends of the handles, and Nat then, leaning over, managed to raise itto his level without doing more than scraping the face of the rock as itrose. Dinah was on the ledge to receive it and pass it up to him, andNat had soon the satisfaction of seeing it laid safely down in the cave.Myra was then got up without any difficulty. She clapped her hands asshe entered the cave.
"This is splendid, Nat! I never dreamt that there could be such a safehiding-place."
"It had to be, mam'selle," Dinah said, "for dey hunt runaway slabes withblood-hounds. Slabes dat escape here keep all de way in de water. De bitbetween de pools is all bare rock, not nice to walk on, but bery goodfor scent, dat pass off in very short time, den walk down here in diswater dat you see below us. Eben blood-hounds cannot smell track inwater. If dey came down here might smell de steps, but neber come here."
"Could they come up the other way, Dinah?"
"You go and look for yourself, sah, but mind you be careful."
The wrappings had now been taken off Madame Duchesne, and the blanketsreplaced beneath her. She was still apparently sound asleep. Dinah tookup the jug and went to the entrance, Nat followed her.
"You have not given her too strong a dose I hope, Dinah?"
"No, sah, no fear ob dat, she soon wake now. I shall sprinkle water inher face, and pour a lillie wine down her troat, you see she wake den."
"Will she be sensible, Dinah?"
"Not at first, sah. She 'tupid for a bit, abter dat it depend on feber.If feber strong, she no sensible, talk to herself just as if dreaming;if feber not very strong she know us, but more likely not know us forsome time. Me got feber medicine, neber fear. Feber come on too quick tobe bery strong. When feber come on slow, den it seem to poison all ober,take long time to get well; when it come on sudden like this, not liketo be bery bad."
"Well, we must have patience, Dinah, and hope for the best. Now I willgo down with you and fetch all the things up."
As soon as these were all housed in the cave, Nat said to Myra, "I willexplore down the stream and see what chance there is of anyone coming upthat way. Dinah evidently thinks that there is no fear of it, but Ishould like to see for myself."
Fifty yards farther on there was a sharp widening of the ravine, andhere some trees and thick undergrowth had taken root, and so overhungthe little stream that Nat had difficulty in making his way throughthem. He remembered Dinah's warning, and advanced cautiously. Suddenlyhe stopped. The stream fell away abruptly in front of him, and,advancing cautiously to that point, he stood at the edge of an abruptfall. A wall of almost perpendicular rock rose on each side, and thestreamlet leaped sheer down fifty feet into a pool; as far as he couldsee the chasm remained unbroken.
"Splendid," he said to himself; "no one coming up here would be likelyto try farther. The bushes regularly interlace over the water, and thereseems no possible way of climbing up, at any rate, within a quarter of amile of this place, and for aught I know this ravine may go on foranother mile. Any party coming up would certainly conclude that no slavecould approach this way, and they would have to make a tremendous detourover the hills and get to the point where the valley comes down to thecave. It is certainly a grand hiding-place. I suppose when it was firstdiscovered those bushes did not grow in front of it; likely enough theywere planted on purpose to hide the entrance, and the place may havebeen used by escaped slaves ever since the Spaniards first landed on theisland and began to persecute the unfortunate natives. Unless some ofthe negroes who know of it put the mulattoes up to the secret, they maysearch as much as they like but will never find us. I must ask Dinahwhether there are many who know of it."
On returning to the cave
he found that Madame Duchesne had wakened fromher long sleep. She was, however, quite unconscious; her eyes wereopened, and she was muttering rapidly to herself. Myra was sittingbeside her with the tears streaming down her cheeks.
"You must not be alarmed," he said. "Dinah told me she would be so whenshe woke up, but she thinks that though the attack of fever will be asharp one, it will not last very long. It is not, as is the case withnew-comers on the island, the result of malaria, or anything of thatsort, but of agitation and fatigue."
"Hab you been down de stream, Marse Glober?" Dinah asked.
"Yes, and you were quite right. There is no fear whatever of any onecoming to look for us from that direction. Are there many negroes whoknow the secret of this place?"
"Bery few," she said. "It am tole only to men who are going to take tode hills, and who can't go farder, 'cause perhaps dey been flogged tilldey too weak to travel many miles. Each man who is tole has to take agreat oath dat he suah tell no one except anober slabe running away, orsomeone who hab to go to take food to him; dat is how I came to know.Jake had been tole when dey knew he going to run away. He tole hisbroder, my husband, cause he had been flogged so bad he could not go tode mountains. Den my husband tole me, 'cause he could not get away widde food. I neber tell anyone till now, cause dere no occasion for it;slabes treated too well at our plantation to want to run away. But deream no doubt dat dere am slabes in oder plantations dat know of him, butme no tink dey tell. In de first place dey take big oath, and dey suahto die ef dey break dat; in de next place, because dey no tell demmulattoes, because some day perhaps dese will be oberseers again, andden de secret of de cave be no longer ob use."
"That is good, Dinah; those scoundrels I overheard talking the othernight will no doubt ask if any of the negroes know of any place where weshould be likely to hide, and if no one knows it but yourself they wouldbe able to get no information, and it is hardly likely that they wouldask the negroes of another plantation. Now, what is the first thing tobe done, Dinah?"
"De first ting, sah, is to gader sticks to make fire."
"All right. I will go up the ravine and bring down a bundle of drysticks from the forest. I will get them as dry as possible, so as not tomake a smoke."
"No fear of anyone see smoke, massa. We no want great fire, and smokeall scatter before it get to top of de trees up above."
"Well, I will get them at once," he said.
"I will pluck two of the fowls while you are away," Myra said. "I wantto be doing something."
"When you come back, sah, I will go out and gader berries to make colourfor your face. When you hab got dat done, not much fear of your beingknown."
"You will have to get something to colour my hair, too," Nat said. "Inever could pass as a mulatto with this yellowish-brown hair."
"Dat for true," Dinah assented. "I'se brought 'tuff to make dat, but hadno time to look for berries for skin. When you come back we make firefirst; me want boiling water for de med'cine me make for madame."
"Yes, of course, that is the first thing," Nat said. "And when you goanywhere to get provisions, Dinah, it would be a good thing if you couldget us a few yards of cord; it would be very handy for tying up faggots,and would be useful in all sorts of ways."
"Me will see about dat, sah. Me forgot 'im altogeder when me came away,else would have brought a length; but you will find plenty ob creepersdat will do bery well to tie up faggots."
"So I shall, Dinah; I forgot that," and Nat started at once.
In an hour he was back again with a huge bundle of dry wood.
"Where would you light it?" he asked.
"Jest inside entrance, sah. Dis good wood dat you hab brought, make berylillie smoke."
After a little water had been boiled and Dinah had stewed some herbs andchips of wood she had brought up with her, the two fowls were cut up andthe joints spitted on the ramrod of a pistol and grilled over the fire,as in this way they would cook much more rapidly than if whole. As soonas they were ready the party made a hearty meal. The medicine was bythis time cool, and Madame Duchesne was lifted up and the cup held toher lips. She drank the draught without difficulty. Her face was nowflushed, and her hands burning hot.
"What will that do, Dinah?"
"Dat most de bark of a tree dat will get de feber down, sah. I'se goingto gib her dat ebery two hours; den when we see dat de feber abate, wegive her oder stuff to trow her into great sweat; abter dat she getbetter. Now, while I am away, mam'selle, you boil water, cut up half obone of dem pine-apples, and when de water boil take 'im off de fire andput de pine-apple in; and let 'im cool, dat make bery nice drink forher. Now me go and find dem berries."
Dinah was away two hours, and returned with an apronful of brownberries; and with these, after Nat had washed all the black from hisface and hands, he was again stained, as was Myra also. She had rather adarker tinge given to her than that which was considered sufficient forNat.
"It make you too dark, sah; yo' light eyes show too much. Mam'selle habbrown eyes and dark hair, and me make her regular little mulatto girl.When get handkerchief round her head, and wid dat spot gown on, no one'spect her ob being white."
"You have brought in a great supply of berries, Dinah?"
"Yes, sah; put on stain fresh ebery two or tree days."
When it became dusk the candle was taken out of the lantern, lighted,and stuck against the side of the cave. Dinah opened a bag and took outa handful of coffee berries, which she roasted over the fire in a smallfrying-pan which she had brought in addition to the pot. When they werepounded up between two stones, some sugar was produced, and had it notbeen for Madame Duchesne's state Myra and Nat would have really enjoyedtheir meal. Then Dinah took from the basket a bundle of dried tobaccoleaves, rolled a cigar for Nat and one for herself.
"Dat is what me call comfort," she said, as she puffed the weed withintense enjoyment. "Bacca am de greatest pleasure dat de slabes habafter their work be done."
"It is a nasty habit, Dinah. I have told you so a great many times."
"Yes, mam'selle, you tink so. You got a great many oder nice tings aslabe not got, many nice tings; but when dey got bacca dey goteberyting dey want. You no call it nasty, Marse Glober?"
"No; I like it. I never smoked till after I got that hurt from the dog,but not being able to do things like other fellows, I took to smoking. Ilike it, and the doctor told me that it was a capital preventive againstfever."
"Do they allow smoking on board ship, Nat?"
"Well, of course it is not allowed on duty, and it is not allowed formidshipmen at all; but of an evening, if we go forward, the officers onwatch never take any notice. And now about to-morrow, Dinah. Of course Iam most anxious to know what the news is, and whether this rising hasextended over the whole of the island, and if it is true that everywherethey have murdered the whites."
"Yes, sah, me understand dat."
"Then I want, if it is possible, to send a line down to MonsieurDuchesne to let him know that his wife and daughter have escaped and arein a place of safety. He must be in a terrible state. The question is,how would it be possible to send such a note?"
"Me tink dat me could manage it, sah. My grandson Pete bery sharp boy.Me tink he might manage to get down to de town, but de letter must be abery lillie one, so dat he can hide it in him woolly head. He might besearched, and dey kill 'im for suah if dey find he take letter to whiteman. He sharp as a needle, and often take messages from one of ourslabes to anoder on plantation eber so far away. Me quite suah dat hebery glad to carry letter for mam'selle--make him as proud as peacock.When dey in der senses all de slabes lobe her because she allus speakskindly to dem. He go suah enough, and bring message back."
"It is lucky that I have a pencil with me," Nat said, and drawing out apocket-book he tore out a leaf. "Now, if you will tell me what to say,Myra, I will write in your name." He went over to the candle. "You mustcut it very short, you know. I will write it as small as I can, but youmust not send more than one leaf."
_Dearest Papa_, Myra dictated, _we have got away. Dinah warned us in time, and mamma, Nat, and I ran up through the shrubbery and the cane-fields to the forest. When it got dark--"After dark_" Nat put in, "you must not use more words than is necessary "--_Nat went down, found Dinah, and brought her up, and they brought lots of things for us, and next morning carried mamma to this place, which is in the mountains and very safe. Mamma has got fever from the fright we had, but Dinah says she will not be ill long. We are both dressed up in Dinah's clothes, and Nat and I have been stained brown, and we look like mulattoes. Do not be anxious about us; the negroes may search everywhere without finding us. Nat has a brace of pistols, and mamma and I have one each, and he will take care of us and bring us down safe as soon as Dinah thinks it can be done. I hope to see you again soon._ _Your most loving_ _MYRA._
"That just fills it," Nat said as he rolled it up into a little ball.
Dinah looked at it doubtfully.
"I'se feared dat too big to hide in him wool," she said; "it berykinky."
"Never mind that. He must manage to straighten it out and sew itsomewhere in his clothes. What time will you start, Dinah?"
"Me start so as to get down to de plantation before it get light. Me canfind de way troo de wood easy 'nuff. It bery different ting to walk byoneself, instead ob having to carry madame and to take 'tickler caredat she goes along smoove and dat de barrow doesn't knock againstanyting. Best for me to be back before anyone wake up. Me don't supposeanyone tink of me yesterday. Me told my darter Chloe dat she say notingabout me. If anyone ask her, den she say: 'Mover bery sad at house beingburnt down and madame and mam'selle run away. I tink she hab gone awayto be alone and hab a cry to herself, cause as she nurse both ob dem shebery fond of dem, and no like to tink dat perhaps dey be caught andkilled.' But me no 'spect dat anyone tink about me; dey hab oder tingsto tink of. If I had run into wood when you run dere, dey know dat Igive you warning and perhaps show you some place to hide, but abter youhad gone I ran in again and met dem outside wid de oder house servants.I top dere and see dem burn de house, and den walk down to Chloe's houseand talk to oder women; so no one tink dat I know more 'bout you dananyone else."
"That was very wise, Dinah. Now mind, what we particularly want to knowis not only what the negroes have done, but what they are going to do.Are they going to march away to the hills, or are they going to attackthe town?"
Dinah nodded.
"Me see all about dat, sah. Now, mam'selle, don't you forget to gib yourmamma de medicine ebery two hours!"
"I sha'n't forget, Dinah."
Dinah took up the basket.
"Me bring up bread and more chicken, and more wine if dey hab not drunkit all. Now keep up your heart, dearie; eberyting come right in de end,"and with a cheerful nod she started on her errand.
"Your nurse is a trump, Myra," Nat said. "We should feel very helplesswithout her, though of course I should do what I could. When she comesback to-morrow I will go out myself. I hate to sit here doing nothingwhen all the island is in a blaze."
"I wish I knew what has become of the family of Madame Bayou. Herdaughter Julie is my greatest friend. You know them well, Nat, for wedrove over there several times when you were with us, and Madame Bayouand Julie often spent the day with us. Of course they were not quite ofour class, as Monsieur Bayou is only superintendent to the Count de Noe,who has been in France for some years; but he is a gentleman by birth,and, I believe, a distant relation of the count's, and as they were ournearest neighbours and Julie is just my age we were very intimate."
"Yes, of course I remember them well, and that coachman of theirs. Igenerally had a talk with him when they were over at your place. He wasa wonderfully intelligent fellow for a negro. He told me that he hadbeen taught by another black, who had been educated by somemissionaries. He could read and write well, and even knew a littleLatin."
"Yes, I have heard papa say that he was the most intelligent negro hehad ever met, and that he was very much respected by all the negroesround. I know M. Bayou had the greatest confidence in him, and I can'thelp thinking that even if all the others broke out he would have savedthe lives of the family."
"If you like I will go down and see to-morrow evening. I agree with youthat it is likely he would be faithful, but he may not have been able tobe so. However much he may be respected by the other blacks, one man cando very little when a crowd of others half mad with excitement areagainst him; and I suppose after all that it would be only natural thathis sympathies should be with men of his own colour, and being soexceptionally well educated and intelligent he would naturally be chosenas one of their leaders. However, he may have warned the family, andpossibly they may be hiding somewhere in the woods just as we are. Ishould hope that a great many families have been saved that way."
"Will it be necessary to keep watch to-night, Nat?"
"No, I do not think there is any risk. Even the negroes who know of thiscave will not think of looking for us here, as they would not imagine wecould be acquainted with its existence. I think we can safely take agood night's rest, and we shall be all the better for it."
It was not till nearly daylight on the second day after starting thatDinah returned.
"Me not able to get away before," she said. "In de first place me hab towait till boy come back wid answer. Here 'tis," and she pulled a smallpellet of paper from her hair.
Myra seized it and flattened it out.
_Thank God for the good news. I have been nearly mad. At present can do nothing. We expect to be attacked every hour. God protect you both._
There was no signature. Monsieur Duchesne was evidently afraid that,were the note to fall into the hands of the revolting leaders, a freshsearch would be instituted by them.
"Dat boy bery nearly killed," Dinah said. "He creep and crawl troo deblacks widout being seen, and get close to de white men out guarding deplace. Dey seize him and say he spy, and bery near hang him; den he tookout de paper just in time, and said it for Massa Duchesne; den dey marchhim to town, woke up massa, and den, ob course, it was all right. It toolate to come back dat night, but he crawl out and lie close to wheredose black rascals were watching. Directly it get dark he get up, hecrawl troo dem, and run bery hard back, and directly he gib me paper Istart back here."
"That was very good of him," Myra said; "when these troubles are over,Dinah, you may be sure that my father will reward him handsomely."
"Me suah of dat, mam'selle. He offer him ten louis, but Jake say no, ifhe be searched and dat gold found on 'im dey hang 'm up for suah. Marsesay bery good, do much more dan dat for him when dese troubles ober. Andnow, dearie, how is madame going on?" and she went to the side of MadameDuchesne, put her hand on her forehead, and listened to her breathing.She turned round with a satisfied nod. "Feber nearly gone," she said;"two or tree days she open eyes and know us."
"And how did you get on, Dinah?"
"Me hab no trouble, sah; most ob de black fellows drunk all de day long.Nobody noticed dat Dinah was not dere. Some of de women dey say, 'Whatyou do all day yesterday, Dinah?' and me say, 'Me ill, me no like desedoings.' Dey talk and say, 'Grand ting eberyone be free, eberyone habplenty ob land, no work any more.' I say, 'Dat so, but what de use obland if no work? where dey get cloth for dress? where dey get meal andrice? Dey tink all dese things grow widout work. What dey do when deyold, or when dey ill? Who look after dem?' Some ob dem want to quarrel;oders say, 'Dinah old woman, she hab plenty sense, what she say she sayfor true.' Me tell dem dat me no able to 'tand sight ob house burnt,no one at work in fields, madame and darter gone, no one knowwhere--perhaps killed. Dinah go and live by herself in de wood, onlycome down sometimes when she want food. She say dat to 'splain why shego away and come back sometimes."
"A very good idea, very good," Nat said warmly; "the women were notwrong when they said you had plenty of good sense. And now, Dinah,
whatis the news from other parts of the island?"
The old nurse was at the moment standing partly behind Myra, and sheshook her head over the girl's shoulder to show that she did not wish tosay anything before her, then she replied:
"Plenty ob talk, some say one ting some anoder; not worf listen to suchfoolishness."